


America's Greatest Weapon

by robertstanion



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, M/M, More tags to be added, Sniggles say non binary rights, supernatural character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:53:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25284931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robertstanion/pseuds/robertstanion
Summary: When Wiggly wanted an assistant to help with conquering the Earth, the last thing the Sniggles expected were to create a baby instead. When that baby appears in the middle of PEIPHQ, how does the island of Hatchetfield deal with someone who is labelled as America's Greatest Weapon/America's Most Wanted?
Relationships: Angie Lee/Sean Lee (xanders parents), Xander Lee/John McNamara
Comments: 13
Kudos: 9





	1. The Creation

**Author's Note:**

> sean is pronounced s h a w n 
> 
> anyways new book woo! i'm excited to see this, and i got the inspiration from when they mentioned xander had some sort of like power (?) during a livestream last year. when you adapt that concept, you get a fic like this. i hope you enjoy, and i am politely asking for you to not comment on every single chapter, and do not comment criticism as it is the main cause for anxiety and then we don't get quality mcnamander content from the ceo of the tag
> 
> this particular chapter looks at xander's parents and xander's creators. it makes sense

All dressed in green, the eight that stood around the table watched on with eager eyes. Today was the day. They’d finally be accepted by their master, Wiggly. He’d demanded an assistant, a leader to accompany him on Earth instead of just in The Black and White. He wanted to be inter-dimensional, he wanted to thrive, and he couldn’t as he was confided to the realm between realms. He’d given up all of his current power to create his eight assistants, who didn’t officially have names. They went by their collective, which were “The Sniggles.” They’d given each other nicknames, like Spy, Cat and Eldy, but apart from that, they were unidentifiable. They had similar complexions, similar hair colours, similar face shapes, and were genderless beings. They were the same height and only wore their uniforms.

But today, if all went as planned, they’d be given an identity by their god.

The smallest of the group squealed as they gathered around the table. “We shall satisfy our lord and be gifted with a name!”

“Hush, now, dear,” another spoke up, placing their hand on the Sniggle’s shoulder. “We must be patient. We are all excited, as you can see, but we must gift Lord Wiggly an assistant!”

“That is correct.” A third spoke up, hands raised over the table, green sparkles projecting from their fingers as if creating some sort of matter. “And, if everything goes to plan right now-.” They didn’t get a chance to finish their sentence as a loud bang was heard followed by a green flash. There was a collective gasp amongst the group as they were thrown back, many shielding their eyes.

When the flash died down, The Sniggles noticed an indefinite change to not only themselves but to the area around them. “What the _fuck_ just happened?” One asked, slowly standing up, considerably taller than before.

“Well, we certainly got our new identities…we need _names,_ or will we continue to be referred to by our nicknames?” A second stood up, checking out their hands.

“I think the nicknames will be a better shot…” Another stood up and pointed to their Sniggle friend with pale skin and black hair, a muscular build. “You’re Spy?”

“I’m spy,” Spy said as they stood up, pointing at the Sniggle pointing at them. “And you’re?”

“Stone,” they said, checking themselves out. “How do I look?”

“Taller, paler, longer hair?” A red-haired Sniggle said as they stood up. “You have a bun on your head?”

“Gotcha. And you’re Cat?”

“I believe so,” the same red-head, Cat, chuckled nervously as they looked around at her fellow Sniggle friends. They were the first one to stand up properly, looking towards the table. They gasped softly and rushed over, where the assistant to Wiggly should be sitting, but instead lay a bundle of blankets. “Oh no…” they said, softly, moving the blankets out of the way, stumbling back as she hid another gasp.

“What’s wrong, Cat?” Spy asked, walking over to their friend, watching Cat point at the blankets.

“That’s not an assistant for our lord! That’s a human _baby!”_

At the words of “human” and “baby, earned a loud amount of chatter between The Sniggles, who didn’t know what to do with the thing. Stone stepped forward towards it and carefully lifted it up, which caused horrified screams from the others. They tucked the baby in their arm and moved the dark blue blankets out of it’s face. The baby had dark skin, and was currently asleep, it’s tiny fists balled up in the comfort of the blankets. “We can _not_ let Wiggly see this baby,” Stone announced, looking to The Sniggles.

“Then what do we do with it?!” A curly haired Sniggle, named Blush, asked, before cowering behind Spy.

Stone looked up and gestured to a metal frame that had appeared behind the table, with swirling green and blues in the middle of it. They shrugged as they looked at it, unsure of what it was. “Well, we could throw it through there and _not_ get killed by Lord Wiggly?” They looked around to the rest of them who only nodded. Stone shrugged again before he stood back, apologising under their breath to the baby, who was far too cute for it’s own good, before he pulled his arm back and threw it out, watching the green and blue swirling machine spring to life. Stone rushed back to join the other Sniggles, gulping. “Lord Wiggly is gonna be _pissed.”_

* * *

The Brigadier walked down the hallway, entering her office, where she was constructing a portal to another realm under the general’s orders. She unlocked the door only to see her husband screwing the frame up. She shook her head, unable to resist a smile, as she watched him. “Good morning, Mr Lee.”

“Good morning, Mrs Lee.” He said, turning round to face her. “I let you sleep in another half an hour.”

“You shouldn’t have. The tea was cold when I awoke.” She said and walked over, helping him back up. “Who said you could come into my lab without my permission?”

“I did. I’m your husband and you told me yesterday that you were struggling with mending the frame. I thought I’d better put my skills to good use.”

“Alright, Sean, I understand, _you’re_ the handsome technician here.” She smiled and looked up at him. “How long have you been in here?”

“Long enough to screw on all these bolts that were needed to secure the frame.” He said and got up off the floor, pulling his wife into a hug. “Did you sleep well?”

“I slept fine, honey,” she said and relaxed into Sean’s grip. “And have you had fun mending my portal?”

“Ha ha, Angie, very funny. But yes, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.”

“Good.” Angie said and pulled away, kissing his cheek. “When do you need to be home by?”

“Do you mean when I go off shift? In two hours. The general hasn’t assigned anything major to me today, so I’m on standby until then.”

“Okay, and I’ll be home at three. We can treat ourselves to something nice for dinner? How about that?”

“That sounds delightful, dear.” Sean said, following Angie to her desk. Before Angie could even take a seat at the desk, there was a loud bang from the portal. Angie stood up, eyes fixed on the glowing purple and blue frame, drawing her gun, pointing it at the bundle of blankets on the floor. Sean, not a registered agent, could only stand back against the wall. Once the portal hissed to a close, Angie glared at her husband.

“ _Don’t_ move.” She hissed through grit teeth as she walked forward, gently prodding the blanket with her foot. When she peered downwards to see the small baby’s face, she instantly regret her decision. “Holy _shit_ , Sean,” she said, at once setting her gun on the desk.

“What is it?” Sean asked, unable to do anything, watching Angie crouch down and scoop the bundle of blankets up into her arms.

“This…this is a _baby,_ a new-born, of sorts.”

“That just came from the portal?”

“I believe so…” Angie said in disbelief, looking down at the new born in her arms. She walked over to her desk, moving her gun to the side, placing the baby on the desk. She unwrapped the blankets to check for injuries. “He’s a little boy, I can confirm that.” She said, turning the sleeping baby over. “He was just thrown on the floor. Something from inside that portal didn’t want him…” She looked up to Sean with pleading eyes. “We just lost our own kid. Please, Sean, we can accept him as our own.”

Sean sighed softly, approaching Angie’s desk. He walked behind her chair and placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them as he peered down at the boy. “Is that really such a good idea? Our baby was a new-born when she died…”

“Yes, I know, but this can be our way! He was obviously given to us for a reason! Isn’t that what you always say? _“Everything happens for a reason?”_ If that statement is true, and if it’s the thing you live by, then this baby…he’s ours.” She wrapped the baby back up in the blankets, placing him back in her arms.

“He looks nothing like us. Dear, we are both _white.”_

“I never said he had to be our biological son, now, did I? We were considering adoption before!” She said, placing the baby in the crook of her arm, holding him close to her. “We have a nursery already; we’ll give him the best life we can. You know we will.”

“You work for the military.”

“I’m a scientist at best, and if not, I’m never on the field! I’ve told the general I don’t like the action side of the field, so he sticks me on comms most of the time. I’m not mad about it. I prefer my job to others. I don’t live for the thrill. I live for the technical side of the force.” She held the baby closer in her arms, closer to her chest.

Sean pulled up a second chair to her desk and wrapped his arm around her. “Why don’t we name him Xander? It was the name at the top of our list for boys.” He asked, moving the blankets out of the baby’s face. “Xander James?”

“Xander James Lee…” Angie said, trying the name on her tongue. She smiled. “It suits him.” With that, the baby, now named Xander, opened his eyes. He blinked and pulled his hands out of the blankets, making grabby hands towards Angie, who smiled. “I think I already love him.”

“I think I already love him too,” Sean said and kissed Angie’s hair as he watched Angie interact with their new son. “He’s the perfect addition to our family.”


	2. Never The Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sniggles are in trouble, Xander (TW!) murders some kids and John and Xander meet woo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the summary is wild i know but trust me, it made xander end up on the fbi watch list -:D
> 
> okay yeah this is a bit of a filler chapter sorry about that shjd

Wiggly became more demanding of the team, trying to force a servant out of them. The Sniggles, all of them, were trying to figure out how to break the news to him that their plan hadn’t gone exactly to plan. When they were summoned back to the main area in The Black and White, where Lord Wiggly lay in waiting, they all gulped nervously as the eldritch force began to giggle.

“Now my dear sniggle-wiggles, where is my friendy-wend? What good is a goddy-wod without a companion?!” He asked, the tentacles moving mainly in sync with how the voice became projected around the area. The Sniggles laughed nervously with their leader, too afraid to speak up.

“Well, you see, the thing is, sir-“ Cat started, trying to at least be subtle before Pob, the youngest of the group, blurted out the truth.

“You see, Mr Wiggly God Person, that Cat tried to make you an assistant! They did! And then bang! Green light everywhere! A-And then we got changed, now I’m tall, and there was this _human!”_

There was a chilling gust of wind around, and they knew it was over.

“Pob!” Cat hissed, but it was too late.

“A _human?!_ Whatever were you thinking! Humans are pathetic, disgusting little wormy-worms! Why would you try and gift me one?!”

“It wasn’t intentional, sir!” Cat said, shielding their face with their arms.

“Where is this baby-waby you claim is my assistant?!”

Cat slowly moved their arms away as they looked to their friends. “His name is Xander Lee, sir. His current location is PEIPHQ, a military base located on the edge of Hatchetfield.”

“Then I’d better give Xandy-wandy a visit!” He giggled, and Cat bit their lip. They’d screwed up.

* * *

Angie and Sean first started noticing something was wrong with their son when, at three months, he screamed his lungs out, writing and squirming for six days without stopping, sleeping, eating or drinking, and he was _fine._ They knew that because they’d taken him to the doctor’s several times within the week and they couldn’t find anything out. Angie had even done tests on him in her lab, and she’d had no success.

For the first few months of his life, the same thing would happen. He’d scream out in agon, writhe, keep Angie and Sean up trying to comfort him. It was exhausting.

Still, he progressed like a normal baby. He took his first steps, said his first word, which had been mama, got sick, got better, and had hobbies. He liked to write. He kept diaries of stories he wrote, many of them containing what he described as “a – with red hair and a green shirt and a headband called Cat.” This ‘Cat’ was always Xander’s character’s mother. Angie loved to see how her son was developing.

As he got older, he was able to talk to his parents, explaining that the reason he screamed and cried for days on end were because he constantly felt like his head and stomach were being ripped open. As he grew up, his crying became more obnoxious, and sometimes he’d get sick, but it scared him even more with the fear of the unknown what was happening to him. Many more hospital visits and many more tests at PEIP and they were still unable to figure out what was happening to their son.

Still, he got older and grew up, and soon he was starting school. He’d been so excited up until the minute he realised his mom wouldn’t be with him. He cried out of fear when he had to be left behind, but Angie promised she’d pick him up as soon as her shift was over. Luckily, the day went well, and he didn’t have an “agony week” for nearly a year, but he had a pretty bad three weeks of it in the summer the next year. He lost so much water he had to be put on IV. He became weak and couldn’t walk until the week after, meaning he’d been in bed for over a month at that point.

However, when he was seven years old, something bad happened. One of his classmates upset him by calling him a name or pointing out that his writing wasn’t very good, and Xander had gotten very angry. The kid, that had upset Xander, hadn’t had a chance to laugh at him, because Xander had him on the floor, a hand on his chest, a leg on his stomach, and another hand repeatedly hitting his head down against the pavement. It had cut off the kid’s oxygen supply, and with the loss of blood, had pretty much killed him on the spot. Another kid went to tend to their friend, who was under Xander’s grip, but Xander climbed off of the body and flashed his teeth, which were now sharp and pointy like fangs, jumping towards the kid.

Another kid ran and got a teacher, who tried to tackle Xander to the ground, only for a bright green tentacle to stab through her stomach. The teacher died on the spot, next to the student killed first. More kids began to scream out in terror, trying to run and hide, but more tentacles were shooting out of Xander’s body, Xander screeching an unknown language, a green glow surrounding him. As his eyes began to glow green and more corpses fell to the floor, one teacher, who’d managed to escape, called for Xander’s parents. They were there within the minute, a tranquiliser gun poised on her shoulder. She had to fire the entire round until Xander collapsed on the floor, unconscious. Angie thanked the teacher, but apologised for her actions as she shot the teacher dead. She couldn’t let information leak about this event. She got Sean to delete the CCTV footage from the school and to deal with the blood and dead bodies as Angie took Xander home.

When Xander awoke, he immediately started crying, apologising violently as he stuttered on his own breath. Angie sat beside him, cuddling him close, as he explained everything. It hadn’t been him, and he’d fought for control over his own body, but he’d gotten so anger Wiggly had managed to take over.

She took Xander in for another round of tests and discovered DNA from The Black And White that matched with a sample of the slime that was found around it in a water-like consistency. Xander wasn’t entirely human, and that scared her.

She didn’t tell Sean the truth, especially when a confirmed rumour got around to her telling her Xander had been placed on the FBI Watchlist. She’d cried that night when she got an anonymous slip of paper through the door, saying that she could hand Xander over for an overly generous sum of money so he could be used as America’s Greatest Weapon to help win the wars. She never got back to the sender, instead, teaching her son right from wrong, and how to calm his anger.

* * *

It seemed he grew up too quickly then, and before he knew it, he was 14 years old, 7 years since the incident. He started his first day at high school, sitting down in his first class. There were whispers that were too loud for his own good, causing him to push his hood further up on to his head. Maybe they knew what he’d done. Maybe he didn’t. Still, it scared him. 

At break, he sat alone for five minutes until he heard the shuffle of someone coming over to him. They sat beside him and Xander looked up. There was another boy beside him with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes with pale skin and slight bruises on his arms. He wore a simple blue shirt and old jeans with sneakers. He smiled and held out a hand. “My name’s John McNamara and I think you’re cool. Do you want to be my friend?”

Xander couldn’t believe his ears, in perfect honesty. Some random kid had just walked over to him and asked if they wanted to be friends. Nervously, Xander nodded, taking John’s hand, shaking it. He’d always been cautious about touching other people after middle school. He knew it could happen again if he got really angry, but for now, he was calm. “Xander Lee. I’m gonna be a physicist one day, like my mom. She’s my hero.”

“That’s so cool! I don’t know what I’m gonna be. Maybe I’ll be in the army like my uncle was.” John drew his hand away and looked at Xander. “You wanna sit beside me in class? We got the same thing next. Maths with Dyer.”

“That sounds good.” Xander smiled, and for once, he felt at peace with himself. He didn’t feel scared of delivering a fatal injury to someone, and it was all John’s fault. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they're gay.


	3. Freak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xander's parents discuss divorce and Angie isn't a good person

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyways tw: divorce, mentions of being called a freak, strict parenting

It wasn’t a shock when they started getting closer. They were both extremely shy to open up to one another, but they started off slow. Now Xander knew John lived downtown, that his favourite colour was red and he had never had a friend before. They liked a lot of the same things, like games and the same food, which made planning things a lot easier.

For once, Xander had been excited to go home after school. He had a friend, a _real_ friend who was kind, and polite, and understanding. John didn’t care Xander spoke less than he had. John let Xander communicate in a different way, and he was forever grateful. He unlocked the door with the keys his parents had gotten for him _just_ for starting high school. He was met with the smell of dinner and the sound of his father singing somewhere down the hall.

Xander dropped his bag down at the front door, like his parents had told him to, and slipped off his shoes. He put his keys in the jar so he didn’t lose him before he walked into the kitchen. His father spun around and held his arms out to him. “There he is!” His father was smiling at him. Xander’s own smile spread more across his face as he ran into his father’s arms, immediately caught in a tight hug. “How was school today?”

“It was so good! I wanna talk all about it!”

“Well, come take a seat at the dinner table,” his mom said as she served up the food. His father nodded at Xander, who scrambled to sit up at the table. He took off his jacket and placed it on the back of his chair. His food was placed in front of him, one of his favourite meals that was clearly made especially for that day to celebrate. He immediately started eating, waiting for someone to persuade him to keep speaking.

“So, honey, what did you do at school today?” His mother asked, causing Xander to quickly swallow his food so he could talk.

“It was so cool! All the teachers I have are nice so far, we have the coolest lessons and the classrooms are really pretty! I got all the best seats in the classes so I can see, but I’m also not behind anyone _too_ tall either. And-and I made a _friend!_ At break! He’s so cool!” Xander smiled and looked up to his parents.

“Good on you, son! You got yourself your very own friend! What’s his name? What’s he like?” His father asked, clasping his hands on the table, setting down his cutlery.

“Okay, okay, so his name is John McNamara which is _such_ a cool name, and he’s got golden hair and he has blue eyes! Really unique blue eyes! They have grey streaks in them like lightning bolts. And he came to sit beside me at break because I didn’t speak much today, but he sat down by me and he called me cool and asked me if I wanted to be his friend! And I said yes, and we sat beside each other in Math class! He’s just so cool!” Xander said, unable to stop the glint in his eye as he spoke about his new friend.

“Oh, Xander, that’s amazing! He sounds _wonderful!”_ His father said and looked to his wife. “Angie, darling, what do you think about Xander’s friend?”

Angie, who had been silent since Xander had started speaking, looked up She cleared her throat and set down her cutlery as well, looking at Xander with gentle eyes.

Xander, still ecstatic, looked at his mom, and the smile dropped, his heart tightening. The glint in his eye faded and he looked down at his food. “What have I done wrong _now?”_ Ever since Xander had been adopted, he knew his parents had been very strict in protecting him. He got sick near enough to every month leaving him bed-ridden and fragile, screaming in pain, and he knew something had happened when he was 7, but his parents never told him about it. He couldn’t remember what he’d done, but they pretended an entire year of his life didn’t happen, and he didn’t know why. Still, when his mother looked at her with that smile that tried to show empathy, her eyes saddened, he knew he’d done something wrong at most.

Angie looked at Xander, deciding to be honest with him. “Xander, sweetie, we love you. Me and your father, and there are times where we’ll disagree but…I, personally, don’t think having a friend is good for you.”

“Why?” Xander asked, his heart beginning to pound more and more. “Why can’t I have friends like everyone else in my year group?”

“It’s only to protect you in case you have another outburst.”

The words stung and Xander shrunk into his seat. Everything was always about his outbursts. He hadn’t been angry for months, not since grade school at most. He’d been working on getting better, and his tactics had been working, and he was still upset that his mother could only see someone who only got angry when he was so much more than that. He was smart, he earned his place in high school, he was considerate, a good listener, an open mind. Due to the circumstances of the situation, his sadness soon melted away and he felt a hot ball of fire bubble in his chest. He gripped the table a little bit tighter and blinked away tears. “Oh. To protect me. From the people who care about me?”

“You haven’t even known John for a day, Xander.”

“And so what?!” Xander asked and looked up at his mother. “And so what? I know when someone cares about me, I know when someone is willing to listen, willing to take my side! He was interested in getting to know me, he thinks I’m _cool!_ ”

“That might not mean anything, he may have just pitied you!” Angie tried, but Xander gripped the table more, his arms shaking.

“ _You_ don’t know what John’s like, _you_ weren’t there when we started to talk to each other. _You_ can’t make my decisions for me! All the other kids at school can have friends, so why can’t I?!”

“You aren’t like all of the other kids, Xan, you’re _special.”’_

“Fuck you!” Xander shouted, standing up so hard his chair hit the ground. He grabbed his jacket and slipped it on, walking away.

“Xander Lee, do _not_ speak to me that way!” Angie said, standing up as well, as Xander stopped at the doorframe to look at her. “Now, you will _sit_ down and you will _finish your meal!”_

Xander only shook his head as his eyes glanced from his father back to his mother, to his empty chair at the table. He could easily give in and take his seat, apologise and let his anger go away with time, but he was 14 and tired of being controlled. “I’m not hungry.”

“Then you will sit at the table and speak to me and your father until _we_ finish!”

“Angie, let him go. You’re gonna upset him more,” Sean warned, as he watched a soft blue spark appear in his son’s eye. “Angie, sit down and back away from him.”

“Thank fucking _god_ you aren’t my real mother. You’re a shit excuse of one anyway.” He said and slammed the kitchen door shut as he left, choosing to sit on the stairs. He knew he’d be grounded. He’d never been grounded before, but he may as well have been grounded his whole life. He couldn’t go out anywhere without his parents, he’d never been able to have friends, and he could only have his freedom for a few hours a day for his own safety. “My own safety,” he said as he sat down on the stairs, his head in his hands. He could feel the familiar warmth of his tears beginning to fall down his face as he listened in to the conversation taking place in the room beside him.

* * *

“Did you really have to bring up the fact you were trying to protect him, again? In case he had an outburst, which, he hasn’t had since grade school?”

“The last time he had an outburst, he murdered all of his grade school, not _just_ the kids in his year, and the teachers!”

“That was seven years ago! He finally has a friend! God, Angie, you can’t be happy for him, can you?! Not just once! He came home, and he was so _proud_ of himself! I was proud of him for making a friend, so why can’t you be?!”

“I’m just worried, Sean! I don’t want him to make the same mistake!”

“He was being taunted, of course he would lash out! He’s upset with you for holding him back again! What are you going to do when he graduates high school and wants a job, huh? Are _you_ gonna be the one to stop him from living?” Sean asked and looked at her. “Whenever you went to work, I took Xander out to the playing field so he could get his energy out and we _bonded._ What did you do? Worked overtime because you were so concerned with the fact our son isn’t even _human_ for him to be considered a threat to society, and because you were _scared_ of him you shut him away!”

“I am not-“

“You begged me to keep him when he appeared in your lab 14 years ago. You told me you loved him, but now I’m wondering whether you _did_ use him as a replacement for our dead kid!” He said and looked at Angie. “This has been going on for too long. You’re a toxic person for Xander to be around. _I_ want a divorce.” The kitchen door opened again, but nobody seemed to notice.

“And you expect to get full custody of him?”

“I’ll fight my battle until the day is done. You aren’t a suitable person for Xander to be around.”

“What do you mean I’m not human?” He asked weakly, tears still streaming down his face as he looked at his dad. Angie stepped forward, almost like she was going to comfort him, but Xander pushed past her and ran back into his dad’s arms. “Is that why mom hates me?”

Sean hugged Xander tight as he made a motion for Angie to leave, which she did. Once Angie was gone from the room, Sean held his son close to him, guiding him through to the other room, where they sat down. Xander buried down into Sean’s side and sniffled. “I always knew I was a freak…”

“Oh, son, you are _not_ a freak. You’re just slightly different, alright?” He said and rubbed his back. “You don’t have biological parents, but you have us. Well, me.”

“You and mom are really going through with it…?”

“Unfortunately. We haven’t felt that spark between us for a long while, and it isn’t ideal to keep bringing you up around her. I wish I’d have acted sooner,” Sean sighed and kissed Xander’s hair. “Referring back to the original topic, I was in your mother’s lab when suddenly you were thrown through the portal. You came from a realm called The Black and White, which is like an alternate dimension between alternate dimensions. We don’t know why you were created, or why you’re with us, but I’m lucky to have you as my son. And I’ll support you throughout high school too, okay?”

“Okay…and you promise I’m not a freak?”

“You are _not_ a freak in any way whatsoever,” Sean said and reassured his son. “We’ll get through this. Me and you.”

“Okay…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is pob alive? we'll never know


	4. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John McNamara is a very good friend 
> 
> (mentions of divorce, mentions of getting drunk)

Angie was out of the house by the next week. Since the fight, Xander had struggled to stay, well, stable. He found himself getting angrier again. He’d come so far with controlling his emotions, and now that he was in the middle of his parents’ divorce, he felt awful. He didn’t want to go to school the next day. If his mother, someone he’d been so _close_ to before, was saying that him going to school to see his only friend was a bad thing, then it had to be. It couldn’t be right. Yet to make things easier for his father, he got ready for school and left the house. He barely spoke to his dad, instead choosing to head straight to the bus stop.

He got on the bus and took his seat by the window, choosing not to speak to anyone. The bus started to drive away, and Xander found himself getting lost in thought. He was exhausted. He’d caused his parents divorce because _he’d_ wanted to fit in, to be like every other kid. He’d caused his parents divorce because _he’d_ wanted a friend. He’d wanted to be normal, not seen as someone dangerous, as his mother loved to remind, and he didn’t know how to do that without stepping into the unknown. If only he’d have kept his mouth shut, then his parents would be happier.

Or would they? He hadn’t noticed it before, but they’d been more distant with each other. Their smiles had been colder, and their movements around each other had been more forceful. His mom took longer shifts at the agency, but it was to escape his father. Thinking back, Xander could see the heartbreak in his father’s eyes. Maybe him and his dad were on the same level?

Xander didn’t know. He wasn’t sure. He’d never had to face conflict like this before, something that would ultimately change his life. At least his mother knew what was going on with him when it came to The Black and White; his father was still in the dark. He’d tried to balance himself out, to split his love equally between his father and mother, yet his mother was so _traditional_ , and his father was so much more understanding. He continued to think about it, realising he’d always leaned towards his father more. When his father took him out to give him a break from home life, when his father let Xander bake with him even though they usually ended up burning everything, when his father stayed by his side when Xander was bedridden and screaming out in pain when his mother claimed work was more important because _that_ was how they’d ‘solve this problem.’

It had been in front of his eyes the entire time. His mother had called him a problem. He hadn’t asked to be placed on Earth, he hadn’t even been asked to be created. He just wanted to feel loved like every other kid on the planet, and he always aimed to be the best for everyone if he could be. Yet, he’d never felt so alone. His parents were splitting up and he _certainly_ didn’t want to be around his mother anymore. He had to figure out a lot of things, and he’d never felt worse about himself.

His chain of thought was broken when there was a hand placed on his shoulder, and only then did he realise his vision was slightly tinged blue, and he felt a warm tear falling down his cheek. Was he crying? “Hey, are you okay?” Someone asked beside him. Xander, ashamed he’d been caught crying.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about it.”

“But you’re crying…When I cry, it usually means I’m upset, or really frustrated. I cry a lot,” he admitted as he looked at Xander. “Are your eyes _blue?”_

“No, no, it’s a trick of the light.” Xander rubbed his eyes clear and turned to face his new friend, sighing. “Sorry, about this.”

“Hey, it’s no worry! I’m not going to judge you! I wouldn’t do that! I’m always here for you to talk, you know? You’re super cool _and_ my friend,” John grinned, rubbing his shoulder gently, a trick he’d seen done many times in his household to calm his father down when he was drunk.

“My parents are getting divorced because of me,” Xander said, his voice bland and emotionless. “I don’t know what to do.”

“I’m sure it isn’t your fault, Xander. I’m sure it isn’t at all.”

Xander laughed wetly, another few tears falling. He shook his head, breaking his vision away from John. “Trust me. My mother can’t take the stress of taking care of me.” He wiped his eyes again. “Uh, basically, I get sick, a lot. And my mom’s a doctor, she’s trying to find a cure to stop me getting sick, because the illness I have is really rare. But she’s given up on me.”

“Well, that isn’t good at all,” John looked at Xander and moved his hands into his lap. “One, fuck your mom, two, you still got your dad right?”

Xander nodded. “Me and dad go out to kick a ball around a couple times a week. We don’t play soccer, we just kick a ball. It’s calming and I like it a lot. We also bake, we burn everything, but the not burnt bits are good. I love my dad. He isn’t giving up on me. He believes in me.”

“Well, your dad sounds like a good person. Now, I’m gonna make this pretty clear that I am your friend now and I will always be here to talk okay? I can be pretty obnoxious sometimes and I don’t like fighting, but if you politely ask me to calm down then I will. I just don’t like confrontation.”

Xander smiled and returned to looking out of the window. “Me either.”

“See! We’re practically the same person!” John grinned and looked at Xander. “You’re my friend and I care. I’ll always care.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> right im gonna timeskip next chapter

**Author's Note:**

> a guide to knowing your sniggles, based on the names i gave them:  
> Kim – Cat  
> Curt – Spy (haha see what i did there)  
> Jeff - Stone  
> Jaime - Blush  
> James - Star  
> Robert – Pob  
> Angela – Moon  
> Lauren - Eldy
> 
> hope you enjoyed!!!


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